Joseph Scranton Tate Jr

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph S Tate Jr, Sergeant Edward J Rubin and Technical Sergeant Gottrell H Wright of the 93rd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-40128) nicknamed "Ball of Fire the III".

Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for publication 4 Nov 1943' [stamp]. '283892' [Censor no].

Printed caption on reverse: 'COMBAT PERSONNEL OF THE "TRAVELLING CIRCUS"
L to R: Lt. Col. Joseph S. Tate, Jr of St. Augustine Fla.  Squadron Commander, has completed 32 missions, incl. Rome and Ploest media-379221.jpg FRE 785 Lieutenant Colonel Joseph S. Tate Jr, Sergeant Edward J. Rubin and Technical Sergeant Gottrell H. Wright of the 93rd Bomb Group with their B-24D Liberator, 42-40128, named, Ball of Fire the III.

Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for publication 4 Nov 1943' [stamp]. '283892' [Censor no].

Printed caption on reverse: 'COMBAT PERSONNEL OF THE "TRAVELLING CIRCUS"
L to R: Lt. Col. Joseph S. Tate, Jr of St. Augustine Fla. Squadron Commander, has completed 32 missions, incl. Rome and Ploesti raids. Col Tate holds the Air Medal, 4 Oak Leaf Clusters to the AM, the DFC and one Cluster. Sgt. Edward J. Rubin, of Portage, Wis. (near Madison), tail gunner, has completed 12 missions, including the Rome mission. He holds the Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. In the raid on Foggia, Italy, he destroyed an enemy aircraft. T/Sgt. Gottrell H. Wright, of Warigold, Miss, near Jackson, completed 18 missions, including Rome, Ploesti, and the airplane works near Vienna. He holds the Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. US.Pool/F. KEYSTONE SG. 47.48'.
Roger Freeman Collection

Black Sunday - Ploesti - Michael Hill

Object Number - FRE 785 - Lieutenant Colonel Joseph S. Tate Jr, Sergeant Edward J. Rubin and Technical Sergeant Gottrell H. Wright of the 93rd Bomb Group with their B-24D...

Assigned to 328BS, 93BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Shot down 22-Dec-43 in B-24 42-41002. Killed in Action (KIA). Tate was acting command pilot. MACR 2183





Awards: SS, DFC (OLC), AM (4OLC), Croix de Guerre ( with palm leaf), PH.

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 93rd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34261191
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 15082720
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16048602
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34089702 / O-789772
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron 66th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36306636 / O-660362
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator

Aircraft

A B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-23667) nicknamed "Ball of Fire (Barber Bob)" of the 93rd Bomb Group used as a flight assembly ship.
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Ball of Fire Barber Bob
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Ball of Fire Junior
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 329th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - War Baby - Ball Of Fire The III
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 409th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

St Augustine, Florida 17 February 1918 Son of Joseph Scranton Sr and Alice Sargent Tate. Marfa, TX ?

Based

Hardwick 10 December 1943 - 22 December 1943 Assigned to 328BS, 93BG, 8AF USAAF.

Died

Killed in Action

Netherlands 22 December 1943 Shot down 22-Dec-43 in B-24 42-41002. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2183

Buried

Tablets of the Missing Cambridge American Cemetery Coton, Cambs, UK.

Other

Graduated West Point

West Point, NY Graduated from The USMA at West Point in 1941.

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" for clarity.

Date
Changes
Date
Contributorbombercommand
Changes
Sources

UPL 23736

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Combined two entries for Joseph S Tate. This entry now includes information from the following sources:
MACR 2183 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

http://www.93bg.com/#!history-roll-of-honor/cqub

http://www.abmc.gov/search-abmc-burials-and-memorializations/detail/WWI…

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

ABMC, 8th AF Losses / ABMC; MACR 2183, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol.  I, p. 433 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

Joseph Scranton Tate: Gallery (11 items)